Heart of Gold
by Parisa01
Summary: AU. She's in love with a Prince, a Prince who almost every girl wanted; Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum. He loved her too but will his father be happy that his son, a Prince is in love with someone who's not royalty. Will she impress the King and show him that she loves him? Or will the attention of another Princess spark the King's interest instead? NoctXOC Slight RikuXOC LunaXNoct
1. Chapter 1

I'd like to dedicate this story to all of those affected by depression, to those who are going through pain, I am here and there are people here for you. You will never be alone, life will get better and never, EVER, stop trying. There are hurdles in life, well life is like a heart monitor; can go up and down. But suffering and pain can bring strength and change.

Noctis looks like the last scene in FFXV so not the spiky hair, just the sexy type!

* * *

 **Heart of Gold**

Name: Aurea Solis Loire (first and middle name mean gold and sun in Latin)

Nicknames: Sunshine

Age: 21

Height: 5ft 3in

Appearance: Medium tanned skin, light freckled nose and cheeks, deep sky blue eyes round eyes and golden wavy hair up to her hips.

Personality: Loving/caring, talkative, cheerful, funny/fun, passionate, stubborn, short tempered, boisterous, impulsive, emotional, teasing and sassy.

Family: Laguna Loire (father, 53), Raine Loire (mother, deceased), Zack (brother, 24, Leon (brother, 30), Rinoa (Sister-in-law, 30) and Ellone (Cousin, 33).

Best Friends: Noctis (22), Terra (24), Ventus (22), Vanitas (22), Aqua (22), Axel (23), Roxas (22) and Xion (22)

Ex crush/boyfriend: Riku

Conditions: Anaemia and low blood pressure.

Voice sounds like Elizabeth Banks.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

It was an extremely hot day, the air was sweltering like a boiling sauna. Anyone who forgot to bring water whilst walking or standing in this heat would be an unlucky person.

Aurea was sitting on the floor with her back leaned against the car in a petrol station. She was wearing a white choker crop top, peach pink high waisted midi skirt and nude strappy heels. She wore minimal makeup because of the weather; just mascara and nude pink lipstick. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun with a few strands left out. The young woman wiped away the beads of sweat from her forehead and sighed.

With her were here friends, Terra and Vanitas were in a red Audi A7 convertible at a petrol station; with Axel driving, Vanitas in the passenger seat and Terra at the back. Behind their car were Ventus, Aqua and Xion in a white BMW X6; Ven driving, Aqua in the passenger and Xion at the back. There were a few suitcases in that car. Right at the back was a white Range Rover with Roxas driving; he had the rest of the many suitcases.

"How long does it take to get some snacks and pay for petrol?" Aurea whined.

"Is he flirting with someone or something?" Vanitas growled.

"I'm gonna go see what's taking him so long!" She exclaimed and got up. She stretched and cracked her knuckles.

The golden haired woman went into the store and sighed with delight to find that it was air conditioned. Now she felt more comfortable and relaxed. Maybe this was why Axel was staying in here for so long. She walked around the shop and saw Axel chatting up a female shop clerk at the till. Aurea growled at this; for 30 minutes he was in here, he should have been out 15 minutes ago. The young woman walked up to him briskly whilst gripping onto her fist.

She grabbed his ear and he turned around whilst receiving a hard slap at the back of his head. When he saw Aurea, his eyes widened and he gulped.

"So this is what you've been doing for the last 20 minutes whilst we were baking like cupcakes in the heat?!" She growled and people started staring, some snickered at the joke. The shop clerk however was annoyed as she crossed her arms.

"Excuse me, I was having a conversation here." She said and Axel shook his head. Aurea however glared at her and placed her hands on her hips.

" **Excuse me?!** This guy is one of my best friends and we need to get to places. If you don't leave right now, I'll tell your manager how much of a good job you're doing flirting with customers." Her eyes widened and she stepped back. "Now you, come on!"

Aurea grabbed Axel by the ear and led him out whilst pulling his ear. He kept groaning with pain and whining on his way through. They got to the cars and the group of 7 friends turned to them.

"Were you hitting on someone again?" Aqua asked and the golden haired woman let go of his ear.

"She was hitting on me and wasn't letting me go." Axel said.

"Was she that fucking desperate?" Aurea growled. "And she had the audacity to get cheeky with me for getting in her way."

"Can't blame her, I am hot." The red haired man smirked as he ran his hand through his hair. The others just snickered but the blue eyed woman just huffed.

"She was so desperate. I bet she flirts with any guy." The young woman said.

"Well let's get going, before there's any traffic." Roxas said.

"I'm gonna sit with you Roxy. Don't want you alone for the rest of the trip." Aurea got into the car and Axel dropped off a bag of snacks to every car and gave everyone a large shlush puppy. Then he went back to Vanitas's car.

"You sure you don't want me to drive, Roxas?" She asked curiously.

"I choose life, thanks." Roxas laughed nervously and she pouted.

"Hey, what's wrong with my driving?" The blonde haired man started the car and followed the 2 cars in front of him.

"Well you drive very fast and it scares the shit out of me and everyone." He said and she crossed her arms.

"Bunch of pussies you all are." She mumbled and he laughed.

Aurea turned on the radio and on came a song which reminded her of the boy she once loved. She felt her heart break a million times.

 _You're the light, you're the night,_

 _You're the colour of my blood,_

 _You're the cure, you're the pain,_

 _You're the only thing I wanna touch,_

 _Never knew that it could mean so much, so much…_

Roxas turned to her and his eyes softened with sadness. He placed his hand on his best friend's shoulder and she looked up at him with wide eyes. He looked back at the road ahead of him with a frown whilst turning the stereo off.

"You're still thinking of that asshole?" He asked and she placed her hand on her heart whilst sighing.

She thought about him; Riku. She was in love with him 3 years ago but he broke her in such a horrible way. He liked her too but only for a while until he got bored. Then he pretended that he loved her when he didn't. At times, he acted so sweet and amazing and at other times he was a complete jerk to her. But Aurea being Aurea, sucked it up and lived with it. She was so madly in love with him; he made her smile and laugh even when she was so depressed.

But then she realised that she had to fight for herself and let him know when he was in the wrong. But Riku was cocky and they began arguing. She decided that she couldn't let him hurt her. He said so many hurtful things to her, how she was fat because she had a little extra weight, how she was a slut because she hung out with guy friends and how she wasn't good enough for him because she was 'ugly'. Then at that moment, Riku said that he was going out with another girl and that he never cared about Aurea or her feelings. He then got her family involved out of anger, saying such bad things which crossed the line. She had enough and decided to never talk to him again.

"At least it hurts less than it did before." Aurea answered in a gentle tone. "But the memories are still there you know. Painful memories which bring so much heartache. I'm still recovering from whatever he put me through all those years ago. Thanks to him I'm so insecure about myself."

"Why are you so insecure? Do you know how amazing you are?" He asked. "God, you're beautiful inside and out and your body is sexy. **ANY** guy would be lucky to have you. You deserve nothing but the best. Don't let anyone or anything make you feel less."

"Roxas…" Aurea smiled sweetly.

"You've gone through so much in these 4 years and you've gotten so much stronger. You're a great example for us. You're the strongest out of all of us." He stated.

"But my scars…" She murmured as she ran her fingers over the cuts she had on her left arm.

"You can always get scar removal. I mean they remind you of all the pain you went through." Roxas noted but she shook her head.

"I can't." She said.

"Why not?"

"Behind every scar is a story of a survivor. I became so much stronger. I've grown up and I can do anything. He is just my past and the past has made me stronger. Now I'm living in the present and living for the future." A smile graced his lips.

"That's our sunshine." He smiled.

* * *

Time had passed by and it was 11pm. They were all still driving and Aurea turned to Roxas.

"Aren't you tired? I can drive for you." She said and he smiled.

"Pfft, you've got insomnia and it's 11pm." He stated and she didn't go on one because she knew he was right. "There's a blanket and pillow at the back so get comfortable."

Aurea got the blanket and pillow and got comfortable as she leaned back. She went quiet for a little while which Roxas found weird.

"To be honest Roxas, I haven't told anyone this but…I still miss my mom." She said.

"She's looking over you, Aurea. Do you know how proud she is of you?" Roxas said.

"Proud of what?" She asked with a frown.

"For everything you've become and achieved. You've finished university, that's what she wanted for you." He smiled. "She wants you to be happy and at peace."

"You're right." The woman mumbled.

"We're always here for you, remember that." Roxas smiled and she nodded.

There was a silence and Roxas heard soft breathing. He noticed her sleeping and gasped quietly. The boy quickly checked the time.

"10 minutes; that's a record." The boy said to himself and smiled.

They all got to Destiny Islands and found their cars without ease. But when they all stopped, the drivers thought it would be best to just stay in the car in the driveway and just sleep there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Heart of Gold**

 **Chapter 2**

Aurea opened herself to find herself on the sofa inside a house. She yawned and rubbed her eyes as she turned to the clock. It was 10am, the others must have woken up by now. The golden haired teen got up and walked around, so this was their new house. It was a 5 bedroom house with a driveway and garage, this used to be Aurea's late grandfather's house so all she had to do was just go since Laguna owned that house now.

She walked into the kitchen and found all her friends awake and at the dinner table whilst Aqua and Xion were cooking.

"Look, sleeping beauty has woken up." Axel stated and they all turned to her.

"Morning." She yawned and they replied. "Aqua, Xion do you need any help?"

"Nah, don't worry. You go on upstairs, Xion and I have already unpacked your stuff. We're gonna go shopping after breakfast." Aqua said and she nodded. "Your room is your old room."

Aurea walked out of the kitchen and walked upstairs. She walked through the corridor and found her room at the end of the corridor. When she was little she'd live with her paternal grandparents sometimes. When she opened the door, the room looked different. It was no longer childlike but looked similar to her room back in Radiant Garden. She smiled to herself; her father got this room redone.

The golden haired girl went into the bathroom and brushed her teeth and washed her face. She got changed into a white tank top, rolled up blue skinny jeans and red vans. She did her hair in a half up half down hairstyle. She wore golden hoop earrings and a rose gold necklace with a rose and a diamond in the middle. She put on mascara, eyeliner and dusty mauve pink lipstick. When she was done, she ran downstairs and went into the kitchen.

She sat with her friends and ate breakfast which were crepes with different toppings. When they were done, she washed the dishes whilst Axel and Vanitas cleared up and the other made a list what they need to get for the house.

Aurea went to get her bag ready; the bag was a black bag with a golden crescent moon on it. She put her purse, lipstick, tissues, a small bottle of perfume and chewing gum. She ran downstairs and grabbed the keys to the Audi A7 so no one else could. The others whined and were scared that she'd crush. Xion, Axel and Roxas got in with the golden haired woman and Terra, Aqua, Vanitas and Ven got into the Range Rover.

The blue eyed woman in the convertible led everyone and drove out of the driveway. Then she stopped when someone caught her eye. She parked the car in front of the gates, switched off the car and got out of the car. The other wondered why she had stopped.

Aurea, with the biggest grin in the world saw one of her best friends from her Business Management class. Noctis was across the street and he turned to see his friend. His nonchalant face turned happy when he saw her. She ran across the street whilst waving.

"Hey Noct!" She exclaimed.

"Aurea, you're on Destiny Islands?" He asked and she nodded.

"My vacation. I'm here for 5 months." She said.

"It's so good to see you." He stated.

"Do you live here?" She asked curiously and looked at the house behind him.

"Yeah, I live with Gladio, Prompto and Iggy." Noctis answered.

"I'm staying across the street." Aurea motioned to her house.

"I guess we're neighbours then." He smiled. "You can come over anytime with your friends for dinner or something." The golden haired girl gulped and laughed nervously whilst scratching the back of her head.

"Don't tell me you're gonna cook for us?" She asked, remembering how bad his cooking was.

"No, no! Iggy loves cooking so he wouldn't have a problem cooking for a lot of people." He explained and she sighed.

"Ah phew. I remember I would bring you food every day when you lived in halls back at Radiant Garden University." She smiled.

"I'd return the favour by helping you study." He replied. "Hey, do you wanna catch a movie sometime?" Her cheeks turned pink and she smirked at him.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" She asked in a teasing tone and he blushed.

"Uhhh…" He trailed off and got nervous. But she just giggled.

"How does tomorrow night sound?" He looked up at her.

"Yeah, tomorrow sounds great." Noctis smiled.

"I'll see you then, have a nice day Noct." She waved and ran over to her car.

Aurea got into the car and put on her seatbelt. She smiled at herself whilst blushing and sighing with delight.

"Was that Noctis?" Xion asked.

"Yeah, he asked me out on a date!" She exclaimed whilst covering her red cheeks. Noctis saw this and couldn't help but smile to himself. "Oh my god Noctis asked me out."

"Seriously?" Xion asked.

Aurea started the car and started driving. The smile on her face was still there and Axel smirked at this.

"He finally asked you out." He said.

"I know, we've known each other for a while." She said.

"Plus you guys have some history too." Roxas pointed out and she nodded.

"I remember when he saw me on our first day of University, he recognised me." She stated. "Surprising because he gets so much attention from girls anyway."

"How did he recognise you?" The dark haired woman asked curiously with a smile.

"He told me he'd never forget my golden hair." She answered as her cheeks turned pink. "It was sweet."

"Do you fancy him or something?" Axel pointed out the obvious with that question.

"Not like how girls obsess over him cuz he's a Prince. But I know there's so much more to him than what meets the eye." She mumbled with curiosity. "But I doubt he'd want anything serious with me y'know." Her friends raised an eyebrow at this.

"Why not? You deserve anyone who's as amazing as you." Roxas said.

"He's a Prince and I'm just…" Her smile dropped as her eyebrows furrowed together. "Well I'm just Aurea Solis Loire."

"Well, Aurea Solis Loire deserves only the best." Xion giggled.

"Princess Aurea Solis Loire. Can you imagine that?" Axel thought aloud and his best friend turned beet red.

"Bet your dream since you were a little girl, was to become a Princess. Now you gotta chance at it." Roxas teased.

"I'm not going out with him cuz he's a Prince." She mumbled.

"Well the royalty part is just a bonus. The true prize is that you go out with someone you really care about, someone who makes you happy." Xion explained.

"Besides, it's the biggest upgrade from that fucking asshole you used to go out with." Axel growled.

"Yeah, he'd feel like shit! It's the sweetest revenge!" Roxas said as he punched his fist in the air.

"Omg imagine you both get married and your ex sees it on the paper!" Xion exclaimed excitedly and her friend shook her head.

"You better invite us, Aurea." The blonde haired man crossed his arms.

"Don't think cuz you're marrying royalty you can't invite your best buds." Axel noted and she rolled her eyes.

"Guys, we haven't even gone out on our first day yet, don't jinx it!" Aurea whined.

"Me and Aqua will be the wedding planners!" The dark haired woman squealed.

"There better be sea salt ice cream at the wedding or else I'll complain." Roxas stated.

"Oooooh, I can imagine all the sexy bridesmaids. I'll get laid big time!" The red haired man laughed.

The youngest of the group just sighed whilst shaking her head. They were embarrassing her to the max but it was sweet that they had so much belief that it could work for her and Noctis.


	3. Chapter 3

**I love this chapter cuz Aurea meets Ignis and Gladio. It's so cute cuz she's like a mixture of Gladio, Ignis and Prompto!**

* * *

 **Heart of Gold**

 **Chapter 3**

They found a huge supermarket and parked up in the car park. Axel spilled the beans to the other 4 about Noctis asking Aurea out. They were all so happy for her and teased her, calling her Princess Aurea. Vanitas would say Noctis was the lucky cuz he'd get laid, especially with someone as sexy as her.

The group of 8 best friends got 2 trolleys and walked through the supermarket. Vanitas looked at the red haired 23 year old with a smirk and looked at Aurea and then the trolley. Axel elbowed Terra lightly and told him the plan. The brown haired adult smirked and understood. He grabbed the oblivious woman's arms and wrapped his arms around her legs. Her bright blue eyes widened and they put her in the trolley. Vanitas started running whilst pushing the trolley and she squealed whilst laughing. They pushed her through an aisle and let her go. Namine giggled as she pushed the other trolley. Roxas lifted her up and put her in the trolley too. She went pink and he pushed her around. They all noticed this and knew that Namine liked him and that he liked her back. The girls screamed and a kind woman told them for health and safety they should not do that.

The other 7 friends went to go look at other things they may need for the house, Aurea was collecting things for the kitchen. When she got to the baking ingredients she thought about Noctis. She remembered when they first time they met when they were 5 years old, she gave him 10 cupcakes made from her mother. When they were in University, he would always talk about how amazing her mother's cupcakes were and Ignis could never get them right. But each time Aurea would bake them, she couldn't get them right either. But she never gave up trying. So, she started collecting ingredients so she could attempt at getting them right.

Aurea's final ingredient was flour and saw them at the top of the shelf. She growled at this; why couldn't they put the main ingredient everyone used eye level with the average height? That way it would allow someone short like her able to reach it. She tiptoed and struggled to get the packet of flour. Her fingertips wasn't even close to the flour. Aurea didn't want to climb the shelf because last time that happened, she lost balance and fell back into the trolley, and landed on eggs and injuring her back. Her brothers however found this extremely hilarious whilst their sister couldn't stop crying.

"Hey, I'll get that for you." She heard a deep voice. The voice came from a tall man, with a muscular build, black hairs long hair with a mullet, tanned skin and dark eyes. He reached for the flour with ease and gave it to her.

"Gee, thanks a lot mister." She smiled and her golden hair caught his eye.

"Hey, by any chance are you Aurea?" He asked and her eyes widened.

"Uh, yeah? How the hell did you know?" She was certainly freaked out.

"I'm Gladiolus, Noctis's friend. We heard a lot about you." The man introduced himself.

"Gladiolus, it's so nice to finally meet you." She held out her hand and he shook it.

"Ah Iggy, has to be here in the aisle somewhere…" He let go of her hand and turned around to see the said man behind him. "Hey Iggy, guess who I found." The man looked up and pushed his glassed back as he joined his friend. "It's Aurea, Noct's bestie."

"Ah, you must be Miss Aurea, it's lovely to finally meet you." Ignis smiled.

"Please, just Aurea is fine. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Ignis. I've heard a lot about your famous cooking." She smiled.

"As have I about yours. Noctis would always talk about your cooking skills. I'd like to personally thank you for keeping Noctis fed during his studies." The brown haired man placed his hand on his chest as his head lowered for a moment.

"Oh, it's no biggie." She giggled. "I love to cook, especially for other people."

"Someday, you must come over. I'd love to make you something." He stated.

"Same applies with you all. You're more than welcome to come over too. My friends and I live across the street from your house. So whenever you want just knock on our door." She replied.

Gladio and Ignis glanced at each other with smiles of pride. This girl, she was extremely lovely, kind and energetic. Noctis really found a keeper and he was the lucky one. Aurea glanced at Ignis's trolley and found cases after cases of Nissin cup noodles and her eye twitched.

"Wow, that's a lot of cup noodles. I assume those are for you." She stated as she looked up the taller man.

"Pot noodles with prawn, chicken or beef is the best way to get the ultimate flavour experience." He said and she shook her head about to burst out laughing.

"Noct was right. You have some cup noodle fetish." She giggled and even Ignis snickered.

"Did that squirt really say that?" He growled.

"Please don't kill him." She clasped her hands together with a pout. "And if you don't mind, could you get me 3 more packets of flour please?"

He reached up for the flour and gave it to her. She placed them into the trolley and they glanced at her ingredients.

"You gonna bake cakes for a bake sale or something?" Gladio asked.

"Oh, well when Noctis and I met I gave him 12 of my mother's best cupcakes." She answered. "I'm trying to recreate them and have been trying to for 3 years."

"I've been trying for 15 years. I never get it right either. You must ask your mother for the recipes." Ignis said and it was like a knife to the heart. But she didn't let that affect her.

"Her recipe got lost when we moved from Destiny Islands to Radiant Garden." She answered. "At the moment I've got 5 out of the 10 cupcakes perfected. The harder ones are the cupcakes with different desserts incorporated into them."

"Have you tried cooking those desserts then attempting to use the same ingredients with a cupcake mix?" Ignis asked.

"Yes I've tried that but it would turn into an absolute mess. My family would eat it anyway cuz it would taste nice. But I guess there must be some trick to it." She explained.

"Maybe, you don't need to necessarily use all ingredients with the normal cake mix. Just use all of the key ingredients which create that flavour." He suggested and she had a smile on her face whilst clicking her fingers.

"That's it! I'll just list main ingredients and try them. Thanks a lot Ignis!" She grinned goofily. "Anyway, I need to go find my friends. Must be somewhere around here. I'll see you soon. It was lovely meeting you."

Aurea waved goodbye to Gladio and Ignis whilst walking away. She met with her other friends who had loads of chocolates and ice cream. She huffed whilst shaking her head; she couldn't be bothered to tell them off today. They all pitched in to pay for the things and put the bags in the Range Rover.

"Guys, I'm so hungry." Aurea whined with a pout and they laughed nervously.

"Aurea, you're **ALWAYS** hungry!" Axel pointed the obvious.

"What do you feel like having?" Terra asked.

"And please don't say anything or I don't know." Vanitas crossed his arms.

"I feel like pigging out today!" She giggled. "Like a bucket of hot wings and chicken fillets to myself. With coleslaw and gravy and beans!"

"Well, KFC it is then." Ven grinned and they all got into their cars.

* * *

They drove to the nearest KFC which was near their house anyway. So they just parked up in their driveway and walked to the fast food restaurant. They decided to take away and went home. They all sat in the living room whilst watching Friends.

"I wonder why I've had this sudden craving of fried chicken." She said with her mouth full.

"It's weird. You usually just eat a shit load of junk food a day before your…" Aqua stopped speaking and looked at her friend.

Aurea dropped her chicken fillet which fell into the bucket. Her blue eyes widened and she pouted. She then started wailing and crying loudly and it sounded like she was whining.

"W-what's going on?" Ven asked.

"Curse you mother nature!" She cried. "My date is on Wednesday too. I don't wanna cancel." She whimpered whilst stuffing a chicken fillet into her mouth.

"Why would you cancel?" Vanitas questioned.

"I'm gonna get my period on the day of my date!" She whined with her mouth full.

"Yeah, but what's the big deal?" Axel asked and Xion face palmed.

"I'm gonna have painful period pains, back pains, I'm gonna be bloated and my eating pattern is gonna be messed up. I might even start crying over something little." Aurea pouted.

"Yeah, well you could always reschedule." Roxas suggested.

"That's rude, I wouldn't want to do that…" She whined.

"For tomorrow, take a long nice bath in the morning. Xion and I will get some medicine for you so you're not too ill at night. Don't worry you'll be fine." Aqua reassured her.

"We'll get you as much ice cream as you want." Terra smiled.

"But I already decided on what to wear, I can't wear it now cuz I'm gonna look like a fat potato." Aurea sighed.

"Wear whatever you want Aurea. Just know that everyone loves fat potatoes." Axel grinned with a thumbs up. Everyone, including the golden haired woman glared at the boy.

"You weren't supposed to agree with that idiot." She muttered.

"Aurea, we'll pick out an outfit for you later. It's your first date in 3 years after all. So don't worry!" Aqua smiled.

"Thanks guys, you're all being so supportive." She stated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Heart of Gold**

 **Chapter 4**

The group decided it would be good to go to the beach today. They all left and took a long road which led to the beach and it took them 15 minutes. Aurea noticed an island in the distance and smiled to herself.

"That island over there…" She pointed and they all looked up. It used to be a play island for little kids to play on. Now it's a place for people to just relax. We should go there."

"That's a great idea, Aurea!" Roxas exclaimed.

They walked over to 4 boats and went as pairs; Ventus and Vanitas, Terra and Aqua, Xion and Axel and Roxas and Aurea. Within 10 minutes, they got to the play island. The friends tied their boats and walked onto the island.

The blonde haired woman looked around the island with sparkling eyes. She reminisced the days of her childhood when she used to come here and played with the Young Prince and Prompto.

"Hey Aurea, look!" Ventus tapped her shoulder and pointed at a mini island with a tree on it connected by a bridge.

"Hey should we race?" Axel asked with a smirk.

"Oh yeah we totally should!" Aurea exclaimed excitedly.

agreed. All the guys were in and so was Athena. Xion and Aqua decided to walk because they wore wedges.

"Ready? GO!" They all shouted and ran towards the little island. They jumped onto the little shack whilst Axel fell off which was funny. Terra and Aurea got to the tree first and cheered. The others got to the tree too and Xion and Aqua were still walking towards the little shack. They heard something and turned to their boats.

There was a group who got off a few boats with 12 people. Riku, Sora, Kairi, Namine, Selphie, Tidus, Yuna, Larxene, Zexion, Saix, Seifer and Rai. They all stared at the 2 girls and Seifer smirked at Xion in a perverted way. Aqua glared daggers at him and the dark haired young woman looked scared. The blue haired woman dragged her friend away.

They fast walked towards the little shack and Aqua helped Xion up and then vice versa. The 12 friends looked at each other. Then they looked over at the Paopu Fruit tree and gasped; that was their spot.

"Who are they?" Kairi asked in a disgusted way.

"Tourists." Zexion said through his teeth. "Look at them; they think they own the island."

Aqua and Xion came running and called out. They all turned to them looking a little curious.

"What's wrong, girls?" Terra asked.

"There's another group of people on the beach; like 12 friends." Xion said.

"Woah, that's great! We should say hello!" Axel exclaimed.

"Yeah you're right come on, let's go." Roxas led the group and they turned to Aurea who was taking her shoe off.

"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up. I just got sand in my shoes." She said and they walked away.

The group of 7 jumped off the little shack and met with the 12 friends. Vanitas smirked when he saw his little cousin. He stepped forward.

"Hello Sora." He mumbled and Sora rushed to his cousin. The brown haired boy's friends were shocked at this.

"Hi Vanitas! How's it going?" He asked curiously.

"Nothing much; just here on holiday for like 3 months." Vanitas replied and Sora turned to his friends.

"This is Vanitas, my cousin from Radiant Garden." He said with a grin. His friends started introducing themselves and so did the others. They got along quite well but Seifer, Zexion, Rai and Saix weren't very fond of them for some reason.

"Wait we have 1 more." Roxas said and turned up to the Paopu tree fruit island. "Sunshine, come and meet our new friends!"

"Alright, alright I'm coming!" She ran and stopped as she got to the middle of the bridge. She stared down at the friends and her eyes widened.

Riku was standing right there. He looked as handsome and gorgeous as ever. He wore a white vest, sleeveless jean jacket and blue jeans with white Nike Air Forces. He stared at her with the same expression; shocked. Now he clearly saw her new beauty.

'Wow, she's grown up; she looks so beautiful. She lost so much weight too, yet still curvy.' He thought. The young woman lost weight but didn't lose her assets like her big round ass and large breasts.

She thought the same, he looked very handsome and more mature than before. She blinked and pushed the extreme feelings away and swallowed it up. Her slight frown turned to a big grin. He smiled softly and sighed with faint pink cheeks.

Saix, Zexion, Rai and definitely Seifer looked at Riku with glares; they knew exactly who this was. They hated her so much, they thought she was a slutty bitch and persuaded Riku not to go out with a girl like her. Seifer and Rai hated her because they knew her from before in Radiant Garden. They used to bully her when they were around 7 and her brother Zack beat them up. Kairi, Selphie and Larxene also knew who the girl was and didn't really like her because they thought she wasn't good enough for Riku.

Aurea waved at the others with a huge grin on her face. They all admired her hair, how the light reflected on her golden hair. It was really beautiful.

"Hello, everyone!" She exclaimed and took a step forward by accident. "Woah…" She tried to keep her balance and fell off. Their eyes widened but Axel wasn't looking.

She fell onto Axel's back and he shrieked whilst falling flat onto floor. He lifted his head and spat out sand. The other laughed a little at this. The golden haired girl rubbed his gently.

"I'm sorry." She murmured. "But can I do it again?"

"No I want to try it; looks fun, especially crushing Axel." Roxas smirked.

"I wanna go after!" Xion giggled.

"Nah, shotgun-" Ven began.

"Nu-uh, I'm doing it next." Vanitas interrupted.

"Wait, no fucking way! You're all gonna break all my bones!" Axel exclaimed and they laughed.

"Aw guys, give him a break. He must be used to this with his little brothers and sisters constantly wrestling him." Aqua stated with a laugh and the green eyed 21 year old got off Axel's back.

"Thank you, Aqua!" Axel said and the others laughed.

Aurea bent down with a gentle smile on her face and held out her hand for him. . He took her hand and she pulled him up. The blonde haired adult turned to the others.

"My name is Aurea. It's nice to meet you all." She giggled.

"Hey you guys wanna hang out with us?" Sora asked curiously.

"Oh great idea…ummm…sorry I didn't catch your name. But I know you're Vani's cousin." Aurea smiled.

"I'm Sora, nice to meet you Aurea. I've heard lots about you from Vanitas." She shook his head; this boy was really nice.

"Nice to meet you, Sora. Oh I hope it's good things he said about me." She glanced at the boy who smirked at her.

"Yeah don't worry. He just said how awesome and strong you are." Sora said.

"Aw, Vanitas, how sweet!" She wrapped her arm around his neck and gave him a noogie. He started rustling her hair hard.

They all walked up the stairs around the tree. Aurea got to meet the others and noticed that most of them weren't really fond of her. She knew the reason why; because they knew her because of the boy she loved.

"Hey…" She heard his voice and turned to him. He walked up to her and they walked together.

"Hi…" She trailed off and they were quiet. It was a really awkward silence growing between them.

"So, what's up?" He asked.

"Nothing much." She mumbled.

"It's been 4 years, huh?" Riku stared at her but she avoided eye contact with him. Her heart was squeezing in her chest.

"Yeah, it has." She said nonchalantly.

They went into the treehouse and sat in a circle. As they were all talking, the silver haired man couldn't keep his eyes off her. Riku watched with wide eyes as they filled with tears. It was like a knife was stabbed in and out of his heart. He never felt so heartbroken in his life. He realised that after these years, she had finally moved on with her life. And now she couldn't care less about him. Now he felt the pain she felt 4 years ago…


	5. Chapter 5

**Heart of Gold**

 **Chapter 5**

The group of 12 decided to ask questions to each of their new friends and now it got to Aurea who sat cross legged between Terra and Aqua.

"Alright Aurea, tell us something interesting about yourself." Tidus said.

"I can speak 3 other languages fluently; French, Japanese and Italian." She answered.

"Pffft, prove it." Larxene rolled her eyes. "Bet you're just chatting shit."

"Pardon? Pour votre information, je peux parler en Français. Mata, watashi wa nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu. E, finalmente posso parlare italiano troppo!" Aurea grinned and the other stared at her like fishes. "Alright what I said was this. Excuse me? For your information, I can speak in French. Also, I can speak Japanese. And finally, I can speak Italian too." She translated.

"That's incredible. Since when have you been learning those languages?" Namine asked.

"Oh I've been learning French since I was 8 and Italian and Japanese since I was 10." She answered.

"Quite a long time. I speak French too I've been learning since I was 10." The blonde haired woman said.

"Ah, tu peux parler Français? Il est très génial!" She exclaimed.

"Oh she sounds so sexy." Aqua giggled.

"I know, I know." She smirked and the women who didn't like her rolled their eyes.

"I can speak a little Italian too!" Sora exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Off Assassin's Creed 2?" Terra asked.

"Requiescat in pace." Rai said and Aurea face palmed.

"That's Latin not Italian." Vanitas stated.

"Vai a farti fottere!" Sora shouted without knowing the meaning. Aurea spat out some water when she heard the words.

"Aurea, you okay?" Terra asked.

"It's just that Sora, don't say that. ' _Vai a farti fottere'_ means go fuck yourself in Italian."

"Oooooh, I'm gonna tell your mommy what you said." Vanitas mocked with a laugh.

"I'm not a little kid anymore!" He said.

"Aurea, how come Roxas called you sunshine? Are you 2 going out or something?" Yuna teased and Riku looked up at both of them. Aurea and Roxas looked at each and shook their heads.

"We all call Aurea sunshine. It's cuz her hair is gold like the sun and her name means sun." Roxas answered.

"Plus she's our sunshine. She brightens up our day!" Ven exclaimed and she blushed.

"Ven!" She whined.

"Plus she's not Roxas's girlfriend. Aurea already has a boyfriend." Axel smirked and she looked at him with a glare.

"No, shut up!" She growled with red cheeks.

"Ah, Aurea you're blushing. You do have a boyfriend." Namine giggled.

"I don't…I mean…" She looked down and fiddled with her hair. Riku kept a close eye; so she really has moved on from him. "I mean, I…"

"He just asked her out today and they've known each other for a real long time. Plus she thinks she stands no chance." Aqua said. "Which isn't true." She glared at her youngest best friend who laughed nervously.

"Doesn't stand a chance, ha!" Larxene muttered and Kairi, Zexion, Seifer, Saix and Rai snickered at this. Aurea just didn't pay attention to this.

"But he's just…" She sighed dreamily. "Something so much more."

"Can you feel the love tonight?" Axel sang.

"SHUT UP IDIOT!" She roared whilst punching his back.

Then her other friends started singing the chorus and she covered her face whilst shaking her head. The others just laughed at her but the silver haired man just frowned whilst looking down.

"You guys are fucking dead to me." She pouted and stood up. "Anyway, I'm gonna go back and get some flowers for the garden."

"You can be such a girl, sometimes." Terra commented.

"For your information I **AM** a girl!" She placed her hands on her hips. The young woman flipped her hair.

The golden haired young woman started running but as she ran, she turned and looked at Riku. She slowed down and walked out of the hut but she didn't take her eyes off him. Aurea still couldn't believe it's been 4 years.

Riku looked up and turned his head to her. She stared at him like a peaceful Deer. She fluttered her eyelashes and he smiled softly at her. She gasped softly and ran off. He sighed at this; it was going to be a mission to try talking to her.

Aurea took a boat and rowed to the main islands. She got off the sand and stretched. The young woman started walking and asked people where the nearest flower shop was. The people on Destiny Islands were so nice; not like Riku and some of his friends.

The young woman stood outside a large flower shop. The outside was so colourful with many different flowers; She felt like she was a child in a candy shop. This floristry belonged to her future sister-in-law's family. As she was about to enter the shop, she bumped into someone.

Her eyes sparkled and she smiled sweetly when she bumped into Noctis. It was odd seeing him here of all places. He smiled at her and was so happy to see her.

"Hello stranger." She giggled. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Um, Ignis wanted to liven up the place at home so he made me order some flowers." He lied but she bought it.

"Ah, I was gonna go get some flowers for our garden." She said.

"I'll go with you." Noctis said and followed her.

Aurea entered and saw Aerith who was wearing a lovely pink summer dress, with her hair tied in a braid. When the florist looked up to see who entered, she had a huge smile on her face.

"Aurea!" She grinned and opened her arms.

"Aerith, how are you?" She asked. The older woman walked up to the younger woman and hugged her tightly. Aurea returned the hug and Aerith pulled away.

"I'm fine thanks, how are you, sunshine?" Aurea smiled and nodded.

"I'm alright, thanks. I got here yesterday." She replied and the brown haired woman turned to the Prince.

"You're Highness, you're here again?" She questioned and turned to Aurea. "Is this your…?"

"My best friend from University." She finished her sentence.

"Yes, so you're the one." She smiled.

"How do you know Aurea, Aerith?" Noctis asked.

"I'm getting married to her brother Zack in 2 months." She answered.

"Congratulations." Noctis said and she nodded.

"So Aurea, what brings you to the flower shop?" Aerith asked curiously.

"I wanted to buy flowers for our garden." She answered.

"We just got some new flowers!" The florist took her hand and led her into the shop.

Aurea met Mr Gast Faremis Gainsborough and Mrs Ifalna Gainsborough. Aerith's mother couldn't stop saying how beautiful Aurea was and how much like her mother she was. Her father also spoke to the young woman about the new flowers they got and went into more explanation on science. Athena couldn't understand a word but listened anyway. She bought so many flowers for the garden; roses, tulips, lavender, sunflowers, daisies, chrysanthemums and many more. They gave her a discount because as Mr Gast said, they were going to be family soon.

Noctis and Aurea walked through the streets and they were both carrying so many bags of flowers.

"I didn't know you loved gardening and flowers." He stated and she looked down with pink cheeks.

"I can be such a girl sometimes." She mumbled.

"I like it." He said and she looked at him. "It's nice how passionate you are about things."

She couldn't help but fluster at this. But she hid this by looking away and giggling. But the young man could see her red cheeks. They got inside and she led him into the garden. She put on a gardening apron and wore her gloves and equipment. He decided to help her and they started talking.

"So what are you planning to do after we graduate?" She asked trying to shift the attention from her from earlier on.

"Well I'm gonna have to go back to being royalty. I'm gonna be coronated soon." She looked up at him and he didn't show much emotion.

"You know I keep forgetting you're a Prince at times. You're my best friend Noct, not Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum." She stated as she put flowers into the ground. "But, as long as you're happy, that's what matters." He looked up at her with a smile on his face.

"So you see me as someone normal, huh?" She looked up at him with wide eyes and shook her head.

"I mean, y-you are a Prince-"

"That's all I really want. For people to see me as a normal human being before royalty. Like you do." He explained. "Like you used to scold at me for keeping my room so messy whenever you came to drop off food and you'd make me clean it. The people back at home would do it all themselves."

"It must be kinda annoying, huh?" She asked.

"That's why I stay with Gladio, Ignis and Prompto instead." He stated and her gaze was gentle.

"What about your dad?" She asked. "Don't you miss him?"

"I do miss him from time to time. He had big responsibilities and I understand. But it would be nice if he spent a bit more time with me." Noctis stated. "By the way, he told me he wanted to meet you." Her eyes widened.

"W-what?" She asked nervously.

"Said he wanted to meet the friend who helped his son." He mumbled and she nodded with a smile.

"It would be an honour to meet his Highness." She said and then looked up at her best friend. "You know I can't wait for tomorrow."

"What do you wanna do tomorrow?" He asked curiously.

"Well I do wanna eat at a really great restaurant." She said.

"So a fancy restaurant?" She shook her head.

"Hey, even if you get me a KFC bucket, a pizza or a burger I honestly don't care. Just make sure it's good." She explained and he couldn't help but smile.

"That sounds so much like you." He laughed. "What else do you feel like doing?"

"Maybe a movie?" She said and he smirked.

"You want to watch It?" Her blue eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously.

"Please, don't. I'd start crying and run out of the cinema. I won't be able to sleep for a month!" She pouted and he blushed at this.

"Alright, so no scary clown movies." He noted and she nodded.

"What about Fast and Furious 8?" She asked.

"That sounds great." He smiled and she giggled.

His hand touched hers and her cheeks turned pink. She looked up into his eyes and her cheeks turned brighter. He stared into her sky-blue eyes and he felt his heart beat faster and faster.

The Prince took an orange chrysanthemum flower and a strand of hair fell in Aurea's face. He smiled and pulled her hair behind her ear whilst placing the flower above her hair. She smiled so sweetly at him and he leaned in slowly. She gulped and leaned in too with her heart beating so quickly. She was afraid he could hear her beating so fast. They were inching so much closer and were just centimetres away from each other's lips…


	6. Chapter 6

**Heart of Gold**

 **Chapter 6**

Aurea eyes widened and she pulled away from him. He opened his eyes and looked at a curious look whilst tilting his head to the side.

"U-um, excuse me I just need to do something." She mumbled and got up.

The blonde haired woman ran into the house and up the stairs as quickly as she could. She ran into her room and went into her bathroom. She locked it and took out a pad; she couldn't believe she started so early and started at the worst time. She was about to kiss the man she admired for so long, but no, mother nature decided to visit early.

When she was done, she sat on the floor with her back against the bathroom door. Just a few minutes had passed and she felt the cramps begin. She wrapped her arms around her stomach with tears in her eyes; they were only gonna get worse. The Prince had most likely left by now, she wondered.

"Aurea, are you in here?" She heard a faint voice and she gasped.

"Noct?" She called out and heard footsteps getting closer to the door.

"Hey, are you okay in there?" He asked.

"Y-yeah, just don't feel well." She answered.

"Do you wanna go to the hospital?" The young woman couldn't help but smile at this.

"No, I don't need to." She stated.

"Do you want me to get some medicine?" He questioned.

The golden haired woman stood up and opened the door whilst wiping her tears away. She grinned at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

"N-no, I just want some tea. Come on, I'll make us something." She closed the door behind her and walked down the stairs.

They went into the kitchen and she made the Prince a cup of Cappuccino, it was his favourite. For her, she had green tea with some mint leaves in it. She got 2 packets of chocolate chip cookies and they sat down on the counter. The young Prince noticed his best friend wrap her arm around her stomach, whilst wincing with pain. Then he noticed what she was drinking. He looked up at her whilst placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked up and her eyes met with his gentle blue orbs.

"Satan's sacrificial waterfall?" He asked and she couldn't help but laugh at this.

"Yes, yes. How did you know?" She questioned.

"Well it's the green tea and mint leaves. You also took out 2 packets of cookies, 1 whole one for yourself. Plus you look like you're in pain." He explained.

"You can read me like a book." Aurea stated.

"Well we have known each other for a very long time." Noctis stated and she crossed her arms.

"Yet sometimes I can't figure you out." She said. "Just know, if you ever want anyone to talk to, I'm here for you. I won't judge."

"Thank, Aurea…" The Prince smiled at her. "By the way, I hope you don't mind everyone staring at you whilst we're on our date tomorrow." Her head tilted to the side as she looked confused.

"Why?" She asked.

"Well, I am a Prince and apparently, I have many fans; especially girls." She smirked at him.

"I too have many fans; both girls and boys." She winked at him and he shook his head whilst laughing. "It's not that I mind anyway. We're on our date. So what if people stare?"

"You're so different." Noctis stated and she blushed. "Not like other girls."

"I'm just me, Noct." She mumbled whilst sipping on her tea.

"Don't ever change." He smiled and she blushed at this.

"You neither, Prince Noctis." She replied.

"Don't worry, Princess." Her eyes widened and her face went completely red. Noctis smirked at this with a small chuckle. "Now I know your weakness, Princess Aurea."

"Shut it." Aurea warned him.

"Make me." He mumbled and she stuffed a cookie in his mouth.

"There." She giggled and he ate the cookie.

When they were done, Noctis washed the dishes and she walked him to the door. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You sure you're gonna be okay? Especially for tomorrow?" He asked worried.

"I'll be fine, Noct. Don't worry." Aurea grinned.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. Take care Aurea." Noctis wrapped his arm and held her close to him.

Her cheeks were like frying pans on fire and her heart beat faster. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him and embraced him. His scent was so beautiful and gave her goose bumps. She even heart his heartbeat like a beautiful rhythm. Then the young woman felt a pair of soft warm lips on her forehead and she sighed with delight.

All she did was watch him walk away and didn't notice her friends making their way towards the door. They were saying her name but she didn't listen for she was so mesmerised by the young Prince who captured her heart. She placed her hand on her forehead as she smiled gently with bright pink cheeks.

"Noctis…" She sighed whilst placed her hand on her head.

"Guys, I think something's wrong with Aurea!" Ven exclaimed.

"There's nothing wrong with her…she's just in love." Aqua smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

**Heart of Gold**

 **Chapter 7**

Before Aurea knew it, it was finally the evening of her date. The young woman wore a sleeveless black midi debutante dress with a sweetheart neckline and black strap up heels. She also wore silver crystal chandelier earrings and a silver diamond choker. Aqua put makeup on her and tried not to cake up her face; just mascara, winged eyeliner, highlighter and ruby woo red lipstick. Xion straightened her hair. The young woman's nails were done in a French manicure from earlier and she even had a facial in the morning. All of this was for a first date, but it was a date with a Prince.

The young woman walked downstairs and all her friends waited at the foot of the stairs. They all stared at her with wide eyes and their jaws hit the ground.

"Aurea you look…" Terra trailed off.

"She looks beyond beautiful." Xion squealed.

"Now here are your keys." Aqua gave her best friend keys. Aurea put them in her black shoulder clutch bag which had her phone, lipstick, tissues and a spare pad.

"Don't get into too much trouble." Axel winked and she giggled.

"Oh I promise." She said. "Now shoo all of you."

"Have fun, Princess." They sang as they walked into the living room.

There was a knock on the door and the golden haired woman gulped as her heart beat faster. She walked briskly to the door and held onto the handle. She took a deep breath and tried to relax herself.

Aurea opened the door and saw Noctis. He was wearing a navy blue blazer, a blue-grey shirt with the top 2 buttons undone, black straight leg jeans and black shoes. Her cheeks were a faint pink colour; he looked absolutely handsome and charming. His cheeks were also a faint red when he saw her. He thought she looked so mesmerising and utterly beautiful. He had never seen her like this before.

"You look…" He exhaled and gulped. "You look so beautiful tonight." She smiled at him. "I mean you look beautiful every day but today…"

"Thank you." She giggled. "You look like a Prince…Well I mean you are one."

"I got these for you…" He gave her bouquet of red roses with baby's breath flowers.

"Is this why you were at the florist?" Aurea asked whilst taking the flowers.

"Y-yeah." He answered.

"They're beautiful. You remember my favourite flower." She smiled. "Thank you, I'll just put them in the living room. Someone will put them in a vase. Just give me a minute."

Aurea briskly walked into the living room and gave the roses to Aqua. They all gave her the thumbs up and waved at her. She grinned at them whilst waving as she walked back up.

"You ready?" She asked as she walked out of the house and closed the door behind her.

"Yeah, I got the Regalia out for us." He stated.

They got out of the driveway and the young woman saw a black four seater convertible. She knew that this car was Noctis's beloved Regalia, his father gave it to him for his 18th birthday.

Noctis opened the door for Aurea who smiled sweetly whilst getting in the car.

"Such a gentleman. Did Ignis teach you?" She asked and he got into the driver seat.

"Yes." He shook his head with a chuckle.

"I had a feeling." She laughed.

* * *

As he drove, he glanced at Aurea who smiling whilst looking out of the car. He couldn't help but blush and smile himself.

"Your hair looks really nice, by the way." He stated and she turned to him whilst touching her hair.

"Oh, thank you. Xion had to do it cuz it's so long." She said. "I was thinking of getting it cut."

"But it looks nice long." He said and she blushed at this. "I remember when you hair was so short in the beginning of University."

"I remember my short hair. I wanted to start university with a new haircut." She said to herself. "But your spiky hair." She chuckled.

"Oh god, I don't know what kind of phase I was going through." He muttered.

"It defied gravity!" She exclaimed. "I always wanted to imagine what it was like when it was wet."

"It would stay that way." Noctis stated embarrassed.

"That goes against the laws of physics." She crossed her arms. "But I love your hair that way. It looks sexy."

"Ah, thanks." He blushed. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Hm, I've been craving a delicious gourmet burger for weeks." She replied and he smiled.

"Great, cuz I just reserved a place at an amazing restaurant." He stated.

"Hey, how did you know?" Aurea asked and he tapped the side of his head.

"I know these things." She crossed her arms with a pout.

"Mr know it all." He couldn't help but laugh.

"I know you too well. Plus you'd love any restaurant I'd take you to." He said.

"You know how much I love food." She laughed.

* * *

They got to a restaurant and just as Aurea was about to get out of the car, Noctis opened the door for her. They walked alongside each other and after a moment, he held her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. She felt her heart beat faster but nonetheless, she held his hand. He met up with a waiter who stood outside.

"Ah, Prince Noctis. Right this way." The waiter made his way around the building whilst the pair followed.

Aurea's eyes widened and she gasped. There was one table with 2 chairs on the beach, with a candle in the middle. Around the table on the sand were many candle lanterns and rose petals. Noctis looked at her with a smirk on his face and she looked at him.

"Noct…" He placed his finger on her lips.

"I wanted to do this for you." He stated.

He led her to the table and pulled up a chair for her to sit on. The young Prince sat across her and the waiter gave them menus. She ordered a gourmet chicken burger with cheese in a brioche bun, cheesy fries, coleslaw and salad with mango and passionfruit juice. He ordered the same but with a meat burger instead. The waiter nodded with a smile and rushed away.

Noctis stared at her dreamily, the way her hair glistened in the candle light was beyond words. It was like her tresses were made of pure illuminating sunlight.

"Now, who's idea was this?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

"This was all me." Noctis answered. "I've always imagined what our first date would be like. Planned it all out too."

"So you've been waiting to ask me out." Aurea asked with her hand on her chest and pink cheeks. "How long?"

"2 years." Her blue eyes widened and she gasped.

"So long? Why didn't you just ask?" He looked down for a moment.

"Well I was scared you'd say no and want to stay as friends." She pouted at this.

"Noct, do you really think I'd reject you?" She asked. "So what made you ask me out now then?"

"Well the guys couldn't stop nagging about it, especially Ignis." He sighed.

"Seriously?" She asked with a grin.

"He said a girl like you doesn't come along so easily." She giggled. "Well it is true."

"You're too cute you know that." She laughed whilst pinching his cheek. "My friends couldn't stop teasing me since you asked me out. They keep calling me Princess Aurea Lucis Caelum. It's embarrassing."

"I think it's cute." He said. "Besides, that is the goal y'know."

Her eyes widened and she let go of his cheek. His cheeks turned a bright pink as her eyelashes fluttered like butterflies. "What do you mean?"

"The goal of all this is to have a future with you of course. I didn't ask you out just for the fun of it." He explained. "I really like you and I see something with you. Hopefully that doesn't give you too much pressure."

"Noctis, you're really serious about this…" She mumbled. "It's so relieving."

Noctis placed his hand on hers and held it as he smiled sweetly at her. The waiter came back with their meals and they started to eat. When they were done, Aurea placed her hand on her stomach with a sigh of delight.

"That was so delicious!" She exclaimed.

"I'm glad you loved it." Noctis smiled.

After much disagreement, the Prince decided to pay the bill and they left for the cinema.


	8. Chapter 8

**Heart of Gold**

 **Chapter 8**

"So where is the cinema?" Aurea asked as she and Noctis walked around the restaurant.

"It's down the road, you don't mind walking, do you?" He asked and she smiled.

"Nah, I don't mind." She answered.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a large cinema. They walked into the cinema which was filled with so many people. Most of the crowd stared at the couple and whispered. They got to the cinema till and found out Fast and Furious 8 was already booked out. So they decided to watch Beauty and the Beast which would start in 20 minutes.

They walked towards the waiting area and Aurea gasped. Riku, Kairi, Selphie, Larxene, Zexion, Seifer and Rai. Noctis looked at her and stopped walking.

"What's up?" He asked.

"That's my ex, Riku. The others hate my guts." She answered. Noctis's eyebrows furrowed together and he glared up to look at the man. "Noct, please don't do anything. I don't want it to ruin our date." He sighed and then looked at her with a gentle stare.

"Alright, Aurea." He sighed and she smiled.

"Besides, I don't care about all that. It's just me and you here." She placed her hand on his cheek and she wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I do know them, they went to my high school." He mumbled. "The girls are so thirsty and crazy about me. Why don't we go say hello?"

"Noct, you're so evil you know." She lightly punched his chest and he chuckled. Noctis held her hand and led her to the group. "Hey guys."

They all looked at him and the girls gasped and squealed when they saw Noctis. The guys however looked displeased when they saw who was with her.

Riku felt his heart break in half and then into more pieces. It felt like he was getting jabbed with a knife in his chest. There was no way he could get her back now. She moved on and even upgraded into someone way better than him. He always thought he was the best and no one could ever upgrade from him. But this was Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, he was the upgrade.

"Prince Noctis, what are you doing here?" Kairi asked.

"I'm just on a date with my woman." He answered.

The girls turned to see Aurea smiling at them with a little wave. They were all shell shocked to see her with the Prince. Especially since they laughed about her yesterday.

"Wait did you just call me your woman?" She asked looking at him.

"Sorry, I mean my little Princess." He apologised with a smile and she looked like she was cringing.

"I don't think it's a good idea to call me that, Noct. My dad calls me that." He opened his mouth with a smirk and she placed her finger on his lips. "And don't you think about making **that** comment!"

"What comment?" He asked innocently.

"Don't pretend to be innocent mister." She placed her hands on her hips and pouted with a glare. He scratched the back of his head nervously.

"You're so adorable when you're angry." He smiled whilst poking her head. "What makes it cuter is that you're short."

"I may be short but I can still hurt you." She crossed her arms.

"Wow cute, angry and deadly, I've found myself a keeper haven't I guys?" He smiled at them and the looks on their faces were absolutely priceless. They were so surprised to see them together and get along so well.

"Noct, the movie is about to start we should start going." She stated and he nodded. He smiled and gave his friends a nod before leaving with his date by his side.

"Do you want some popcorn or snacks?" He asked and she shook her head. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She held his hand with a bright smile on her face. He blushed at this and squeezed her hand. She couldn't help but giggle at this whilst shaking her head.

They went into the cinema hall and sat down in the centre at the back. The film started and at first, Noct felt a bit nervous and shy. He got over this and remembered what Prompto and Gladiolus told him to do. The dark haired man stretched and wrapped his arm around her. Aurea glanced at him and he suddenly looked up at the screen. She couldn't help but smile at this. So she leaned her head and rested it on her shoulder very much to the Prince's surprise. When it got to the emotional parts of the story, Noct would hear soft sniffing next to him and saw his date crying. So he'd take out a tissue and wipe her tears whilst rubbing her shoulder. It was so adorable that she would sing along very quietly to the songs and only him took notice.

* * *

When the movie was finished, they left the cinema and went back to the car. Noctis had one more thing to do, so instead of driving her to her house, he drove to the beach. He opened the door for her and she looked around.

"I had a feeling you'd crave for some dessert." He said whilst taking her hand.

"You know me so well." She smiled.

He led her to a dessert place shack on the beach and told her to sit at one of the tables on the beach so he could order. She did just that and waited for him. As she waited, a cool breeze blew and she shivered a little.

"I should have brought a cardigan." Aurea mumbled with a sigh.

"Are you cold?" She heard Noctis and turned to him with a grin.

"N-no, I'm fine!" She grinned and he crossed his arms with a displeased look. The young Prince then took off his blazer and placed it on her shoulders.

"You're a horrible liar." He stated whilst sitting next to her.

"Aren't you cold?" Aurea asked and he shook his head with a smile on his face.

"Nah, even if I am, I got a blanket in the car." He answered.

Aurea wrapped her arm around her stomach and she winced with pain silently; the cramps were only getting worse. She was getting cramps whilst watching the movie but it was easier to hide them. Noctis saw this and frowned.

"Aurea, could you give me a minute? I'll be right back." He said whilst standing up.

"Yeah, take your time." She smiled and he left.

Noctis walked back to the car and opened his car boot. He took out an empty hot water bottle with its cover over it, a packet of Ibuprofen and a pillow. The young man then went to the dessert shack and asked the woman if he could fill up the hot water bottle with boiling water. When the woman was done, she gave it to Noct who tightened it with his own strength and made sure there was no way it would burst out open.

"I'm back." Noctis called out and when Aurea turned to him, she gasped. "I got you a hot water bottle just in case your cramps kicked in, some painkiller and a pillow just in case you had a backache.

"Noct..." She whispered with a smile.

Noctis gave Aurea the hot water bottle, put the pillow behind her and placed the painkillers on the table. A waiter came with their fresh orange juice and told them their ice cream needed 5 more minutes. The young woman took 2 painkillers and sighed.

"How did you know all this?" She asked.

"It was a little embarrassing, but I asked Aranea what's the best way to help period cramps yesterday. Then she asked if I was getting them." Aurea couldn't help but snort and laugh so much. "Yeah, laugh it up."

"I can imagine that sassy face on Aranea when she said that." She chuckled and pouted whilst pinching his cheek. "But this was all so cute."

The waiter placed an ice cream sundae on the table and left. It was a hot chocolate fudge sundae, with 3 scoops of vanilla and chocolate ice cream, a slice of hot triple layered chocolate fudge cake, drizzles with hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, topped off with strawberries, Florentine wafers and Vivaldi cigars. Aurea's mouth watered and her eyes widened.

"This is all for you, Aurea." Noctis stated.

"Noct…" She turned to him.

"I'm not that hungry, besides I know you can finish it all by yourself." He stated.

"This looks so good." She squealed and took a spoon.

Aurea started eating the ice cream sundae and it tasted just as delicious as it looked. She started harping on about how delicious and amazing this was. Halfway through, the young woman took a scoop of ice cream and some cake and lifted it towards Noct.

"Aurea, I'm not-" The golden haired woman stuffed the spoon into his mouth. His cheeks turned pink and he chewed. "This is so good!" He stated and picked up a spoon.

"I feel like that kid from Matilda." She said with her mouthful.

"Who cares? This is amazing." He said whilst eating.

Within a matter of minutes, they were finished and the glass sundae bowl was completely empty. Aurea sighed with delight and patted her belly.

"That was so good." She mumbled. "Hey Noct, I wanna walk in the water." He couldn't help but smile and nodded at this.

Aurea took off her heels and ran towards the water excitedly; which Noctis found so adorable. He too, took his shoes and socks off and joined her. He held her hand as they walked in the water together.

"I didn't know you get emotional so easily." He stated and she pouted.

"Hey, it's cuz of my period." She countered back and he smirked.

"Are you sure? Seems like your blaming it on your period when it really isn't true." He said.

"Hey, at least I'm not a cry baby like you!" She exclaimed. "Remember when we watched Titanic, you couldn't stop crying."

"Well it was an emotional film." He mumbled embarrassingly.

"Not to mention how much of a scaredy-cat you are." She smirked.

"I'm not a scaredy-cat." He countered back.

"Yes you are, you were shit scared when we watched Conjuring." She said.

"N-no, way." He stuttered and she giggled.

Something caught Aurea's eye and she looked down and stopped walking. The young woman picked up something from the water and turned to her date.

"I found Thalassa shells." She said and in her hand were 2 Thalassa shells.

"They're really rare nowadays." He stated and she looked up at him with a bright smile.

"Hey, you should keep one and I'll keep one, that way they both bring us luck!" She exclaimed.

"You're so adorable, you know that?" He smiled gently and she pouted.

"Hey, don't change the subject!" She whined and he chuckled at this whilst pinching her cheeks.

They went back to the car and he drove back. Noctis walked Aurea to her house and she turned to him with a huge smile on her face.

"Thanks for taking me out on a wonderful date." She smiled but he shook his head.

"No worries. I had so much fun." He said and looked down shyly. "I know this is our first date and all but I just love spending time with you." Her cheeks turned pink at this.

"Really?" She asked in a whisper and he nodded.

From inside their homes, Noctis and Aurea's best friends watched them. Prompto, Gladio and Ignis watched from their living room. Terra, Vanitas, Ven, Aqua, Axel, Xion and Axel watched from their bedrooms. They were all screaming about when they're gonna kiss!

"I can't wait to go on more dates with you…" He mumbled.

"I can't wait to see more of you." She replied and he looked up at her smiling at him with pink cheeks. "Wow, I didn't know Prince Noctis was so shy."

"Well, it is my first ever date with a girl, especially when the girl is beautiful and I admire her." He smirked and her cheeks turned into a faint red.

"You're so cheesy." She mumbled.

"But you love all things cheesy." His smirk was more smug now.

"Oh shut up." She poked his head. "Well, thanks for the lovely night, Prince Noctis." She smiled and did a little curtsey. He placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head. Then they both started laughing for some reason and their friends thought they had completely lost it. "Anyway, I'll see you soon. Have a lovely night, Noct."

"Sweet dreams." He said and she turned around.

When she turned around, the smile dropped into a frown; no kiss or hug. Then the young woman felt him grab her wrist and she stopped walking.

"I want to be in them…" He stated and her eyes widened. She felt her heart stop beating and her cheeks burned up. She slowly turned around and saw his eyes piercing into hers.

Noctis slowly let go of Aurea's wrist and placed his hand on her cheek as he cupped her face. He took a step closer and was slowly leaning towards her. He then paused and saw her tiptoeing trying to get close but this made him smile. The young Prince wrapped his arms around her thighs and lifted her up. She gasped a little; she usually didn't like people lifting her up, but she felt safe with Noctis lifting her up.

Aurea then felt a pair of soft lips press against hers and she closed her eyes slowly. Noctis, Noctis was kissing her! She couldn't believe it, the boy she admired and loved for 3 years was finally kissing her. Oh she had dreamed of this moment for so long and it was perfection. She kissed him back whilst wrapping her arms around his neck.

The kiss, it was radiant like a diamond in a sky, full of love that sings and had wings and pure like a wild flower. His lips felt like silk whilst her lips were like cotton. The kiss was like the most amazing sensational feeling in the world. It was passionate, perfect, beautiful and amazing. It was as perfect as white and as beautiful as a shooting star. Both their lips moved in sync with each as if dancing the waltz perfectly.

It was the amazing thing in both their world and lives. They have never felt happier. They felt so complete; it was as if they found the last piece of an infinite puzzle.

He placed Aurea back onto the ground and pulled away from her but they both still held each other. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Woah…" She whispered.

"My first ever kiss with a girl and it was perfect." He mumbled.

"You're as red as a strawberry, Noct." This made him go even more red.

"S-shut up." He pouted and she giggled whilst pinching his cheeks.

"You're so adorable, you know that?" She repeated his words.

"That only works if I say that." He mumbled.

"Oh shush." She giggled whilst hugging him. "Thanks for all this, it was amazing."

"You made it amazing, thank you Aurea." He said whilst kissing her head.

"I should get back, I'm a little tired." She stated and he pulled away. "I'll see you soon."

"Goodnight, Princess." Noctis took her hand and kissed it.

"Goodnight Strawberry." She laughed whilst poking his head.

Noctis went to his door and Aurea went to hers and they turned to each other. She waved at him with a huge grin on her face and he smiled at her.

When the Prince closed the door behind him, Prompto and Gladio jumped on him whilst screaming and shouting. When Aurea went inside her house and closed the door, her friends came out from round the corner and started cheering and high fiving her. Their first date was a success!


End file.
